Assistant Professor
Skidaway Institute of Oceanography
10 Ocean Science Circle
Savannah, Georgia. 31411
rivero@uga.edu  

Education:
B.S. Biology, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Spain), 2005
M.S. Biological Oceanography, University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez (Puerto Rico), 2010
Ph.D. Biological Oceanography, Johns Hopkins University (USA), 2016

PADI Divemaster Certified (2026)

Research interests:

Ocean color remote sensing, CubeSats, phytoplankton ecology, ocean optics, submesoscale processes, biogeochemical cycles, coral reef ecology, statistical modeling, Earth System Models and big data analysis.

Dr. Rivero-Calle underwater selfie with endangered coral Acropora Palmata in Roatan (Honduras)

Courses Taught:

• MARS 4520/6520- Quantitative Methods in Oceanography (3 credits), Fall semester only
• MARS 8130 – Seminars in Marine Sciences (1 credit)
• MARS 8230- Intro to Satellite Oceanography– (3 credits) NEW Spring 2027
• MARS 3900- Experiential learning in Marine Sciences. (1 credit) NEW 2027 Spring Break Study abroad in the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. apply now! Note: only for FRESHMEN in any STEM discipline. Scholarships available

Affiliations:

• UGA’s Small Satellite Research Lab (SSRL)
• UGA Center for Geospatial Research 
• UGA Latin American and Caribbean Studies Institute (LACSI)
• Society for Women in Marine Science SWMS- UGA Chapter

The Bio-Optical and Satellite Oceanography Laboratory

The Bio-Optical and Satellite Oceanography Laboratory focuses on three main areas:

1. 1. 1. Understanding the role of plankton in biogeochemistry, microscopic processes with planetary scale impacts.
      2. Improving the way we study plankton and the ocean from space, by developing new satellite missions and new phytoplankton algorithms.
      3. Converging lab experiments, in situ observations, satellite observations and modeling

Research Projects

• The SeaHawk CubeSat Project (Moore Foundation)
• R/V Savannah Flow-through system (BiOME) and CORIOLIX Project (NSF Ocean Instrumentation)
• Optical Characterization of HABs in Southeastern US (Moore Foundation)
• Net Community Production in Optically Complex Waters (NASA)

For Prospective Students:

Dr. Rivero-Calle’s lab engages in a broad range of fields: engineering, data science, marine biology, physics, biogeochemistry, computer programming, etc. If you have an interest in any aspect of satellite research, data science, ocean color or bio-optical oceanography, please reach out, we are always always looking for bright and motivated students!

C.V.

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Lab Members